Mary was such a common name for so long that it sprouted a whole family of chimeric name splices: Maryann, Marybeth, Mary-Lousie, ad infinitum. Spiderman's Mary Jane Watson, the closed toe shoe with a strap, and the common nickname for marijuana have helped keep this one especially familiar to the American ear.

An original choice for a fisherman's child.

Cormorant is definitely one of the most unusual of the newly fashionable animal names, and one of the rare bird names for boys.

When British rocker Steven Patrick Morrissey decided to use his last name alone, it became a viable option for baby namers, a lot cooler than Morris or Maurice.

Mythological water spirit with the more common spelling of Ondine, heroine of an Edith Wharton novel.

Looking to honor Grandma Mary (or Maria) with something original? This Russian short form bears an unfortunate resemblance to the English word "mash", but if you can look past that, Masha has possibilities.

Marine was trending for a long time in France, but the far right politician Marine (born Marion) LePen has dampened the mood.

A name from medieval romance with an endearingly clunky sound, à la Sherlock. The most famous modern wearer was twentieth-century psychologist/sexologist Havelock (born Henry) Ellis.

An offbeat way to get to Gwen.

Both Maire and Mare have begun making inroads with parents seeking novel yet authentic ways of honoring an ancestral Mary. The Finnish variation derives from the word mairea, meaning "sweet."

The name of several early saints, including one, Pelagia the Penitent, a beautiful and licentious dancing girl who repented, then, disguised as a man, spent the rest of her life living alone in a cave on the Mount of Olives. Because of her early vocation, she is the patron saint of actresses.

A merry surname cousin of Kerrigan, could make a lively choice for a happy little girl.

Sage, Rosemary, Saffron, Ginger, and Cassia are used as names, so how about Samphire? This unusual name is given to a plant from the parsley family that grow on seaside cliffs but it's also used to refer to other coastal plants that resemble it. Similar in sound to Sapphire, Saphira, Samantha, and Samara, this undiscovered name could make a bold choice with familiar sounds and grounded nickname options, Sam, Sammy, and Saffie.

The Greek god Triton was the messenger of the sea and the son of sea god Neptune. He is usually represented as a merman, the the head and upper body of a human and the lower body of a sea creature. In The Little Mermaid he is the father of Ariel.

An aquatic Japanese choice that would work well cross-culturally. American parents are starting to pick up on this short and sweet international choice, with over 100 baby girls in the US receiving this name last year. Credit the mega-popular manga and animeOne Piece, which has a character named Nami, the Straw Hat Pirates' navigator. In the US, NAMI is the acronym for the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Merrill, once fairly common for American boys back in the first half of the 20th-century, is now a rare choice, given to just 7 girls and 6 boys in a recent year. Alternative spelling Meryl is also rare, but it perhaps feels more familiar or up to date thanks to the actress Meryl Streep.

The name of the Inuit goddess of the sea, marine animals, and the underworld. There is also a dwarf planet in the outer solar system called 90377 Sedna, discovered in 2003 and named after the goddess because: "Our newly discovered object is the coldest, most distant place known in the Solar System, so we feel it is appropriate to name it in honor of Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the sea, who is thought to live at the bottom of the frigid Arctic Ocean."

A fresh and summery — if rather long — color that sounds namelike, but is extremely rarely used.

This pleasant modernization of a dated original is still rare but has real modern possibilities. Alternate versions include Merial and Meryl.